A 75-year-old retired ship captain identified as Zhakshis Kosa Wadia has fallen victim to a cyber fraud scheme, losing a huge amount of Rs 11.16 crore in just four months. The scam promised high returns on stock market investments.
The police have arrested Kaif Ibrahim Mansuri, a known criminal, in connection with the case. During the investigation, authorities found 33 debit cards and 12 chequebooks from various banks in his possession.
The victim, passionate about stock market investments, was deceived by fraudsters who lured him with false promises of substantial returns on stock investments.
Wadia transferred nearly Rs 11.20 crore across 22 separate bank accounts between September 5 and October 19. While using the app, he was shown substantial profits. However, when he tried to withdraw the funds, a woman named Anya Smith allegedly asked for a 20 per cent tax payment.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Rs 6 lakh had been withdrawn via cheque from an IDFC Bank account. The withdrawal was associated with a woman who had submitted her PAN card as part of the KYC process. Upon questioning, the woman admitted that she had withdrawn the money under the instructions of Mansuri.
According to the police, Wadia was duped at Rs 11.16 crore between August and November this year. Police have arrested Mansuri in south Mumbai after discovering he was in possession of 33 debit cards tied to 12 different bank accounts. These cards were used to transfer Rs44 lakh from the victim's funds. Investigations are ongoing, according to officials.